Basketball Postgame Notes: Kentucky 61, Providence 53

[Jeff Drummond]

UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES

KENTUCKY vs. PROVIDENCE

NCAA TOURNAMENT, EAST REGION FIRST ROUND

GREENSBORO COLISEUM | GREENSBORO, N.C.

MARCH 17, 2023
ATTENDANCE: TBA



Final Score: Kentucky 61, Providence 53



Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 22-11 overall. Providence is 21-12.
• UK leads the series 4-0 and this was the teams’ first meeting in the NCAA Tournament.
• Next for the Wildcats: on Sunday, Kentucky takes on the winner of Kansas State and Montana State. Time and television assignment are TBA.

Kentucky and Coach John Calipari in the NCAA Tournament

• Kentucky is now 130-53 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Kentucky holds NCAA records for most tournament appearances (60) and most games played (183). UK is second for most victories (130) and fourth in winning percentage (.710, 130-53).
• UK is 49-11 in its opening game in the tourney (regardless of seeding/position in the bracket).
• UK is 1-1 as a No. 6 seed in the tournament since seedings began in 1980.
• UK is 32-9 in the NCAA Tournament under Calipari. Since he took over in the 2009-10 season, going into this year’s tournament, no team has more:
  • NCAA Tournament wins – 31
  • Final Four appearances – four
  • Elite Eight appearances – seven
  • Sweet 16 appearances – eight

Team Notes

• Kentucky limited Providence to 53 points, the fewest UK had allowed in an NCAA Tournament game since a 78-39 win over West Virginia in 2015.
  • Providence had entered the game averaging 78.1 points per game.
  • In the decisive second half, UK held Providence to 22 points on just 29.6% shooting (8 of 27).
  • UK is now 89-0 under Calipari when keeping the opponent to 55 points or less, including 6-0 this season and three times in the last seven games.
• UK held Providence to 36.2% from the field (21 of 58). UK is 233-24 (90.7%) under Calipari, including 11-0 this season, when the foe shoots 40 percent or less.
• UK won the rebounding 48-31, leading to an 18-2 advantage in second-chance points.
  • UK is 22-6 this season when winning the rebounding.
• Kentucky led by as many as 11 points. UK is 329-14 (95.9%) under John Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at some time during the game.
• Kentucky has a 2-2 record in the Greensboro Coliseum. The previous three games were regular-season tilts vs. North Carolina in December of 1960, 1967 and 1973.

Player Notes

• Antonio Reeves led all players with 22 points, his 10th 20-point game of the season.
  • He made 5 of 9 3-point shots, most made by a Wildcat since Doron Lamb made five vs. Iowa State in 2012.
  • He has averaged 22 points per game over the last six games.
• Jacob Toppin had 18 points and six rebounds.
  • He has scored double figures in 15 of the last 16 games.
• Oscar Tshiebwe scored eight points and the nation’s leading rebounder snared 25 tonight. He also led the Wildcats with three steals and two blocked shots.
  • The 25 rebounds mark a Kentucky record for an NCAA Tournament game. The previous mark was 24 boards by Jerry Bird vs. Iowa in 1956.
  • 25 rebounds are the most for any player in an NCAA Tournament game since Phil Hubbard of Michigan had 26 in 1977.
  • Has 934 rebounds in two seasons at UK, moving past Chuck Hayes (910) for seventh place on the UK career list.
  • Has 419 rebounds on the season, becoming the first player in Kentucky history to grab at least 400 caroms in two seasons.
  • Has 1,092 points at Kentucky, needs eight to become the 48th player in UK history to reach 1,100.

Coach John Calipari

• Calipari has an 832-252 all-time on-court record and is 387-112 in 14 seasons at UK.
• UK is 318-64 (83.2%) against unranked competition under Calipari.
• Calipari is 169-57 (74.8%) as a collegiate head coach in games played in March and April.
• Calipari is 4-1 vs. Providence, including 3-0 at Kentucky.

In the First Half

• Kentucky starters were Cason Wallace, Antonio Reeves, Chris Livingston, Jacob Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe for the seventh time. This lineup has a 5-2 record.
• CJ Fredrick was the first substitute at the 13:41 mark.
• The teams played evenly until late in the half, when a 10-0 run – sparked by eight points from Reeves – gave Kentucky its largest lead of the game at 36-25.
• Providence hit two threes in the final minute and narrowed the gap to 38-31 at halftime.
• Reeves and Toppin led all players with 14 and 12 points, respectively, while Tshiebwe led all rebounders with 13.
• UK is now 19-0 this season when leading at halftime.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starting lineup.
• Providence got the first four points of the half (38-35), prompting a UK timeout at 17:06.
• Coming out of the timeout, Wallace quelled the advance with a pair of driving layups and the Wildcats eventually extended the lead to 46-37 at the 12:22 mark.
• At that point, both teams went cold, with neither scoring a basket for more than five minutes, until Providence hit a 3-pointer at the 7:16 mark to make it 46-41.
• UK finally got back on the board at 6:30 when Reeves followed his own miss (48-41).
• Providence got no closer than four points the rest of the way; in the final 1:14, Toppin made 6-of-6 free throws and Reeves hit 1-of-2.